Ol' Lenny P, over the weekend, through some nuggets out to Bengals fans. First, Ed Hartwell.
Even before he started to deteriorate physically in Atlanta, where he suffered a ruptured Achilles in 2005 and had surgeries on both knees that shortened his 2006 season, linebacker Ed Hartwell had begun to rub veterans the wrong way. A noted trash-talker, Hartwell came to the Falcons as a big-money free agent in 2005 but, as the new guy in the lineup, tried to usurp the leadership role of guys like Keith Brooking in the locker room. Hartwell is already drawing crooked looks from Cincinnati veterans who are weary of his mouthiness and wonder if it's just a façade to camouflage the fact he's a guy in decline.
My guess is that Chad Johnson is the veteran that doesn't like to be upstaged in the arena of talking too much.
Also.
The Bengals' coaching staff, by the way, is starting to wonder if fourth-year safety Madieu Williams is ever going to regain the form of his 2004 rookie season. The Bengals felt they had a potentially special player in Williams a few years ago, but he's looked pretty ordinary of late.
Also, ESPN released their first off-season power rankings. The Bengals came in 10th.
FoxSports' Adam Schein is dead-set against adding a 17th game to play an international game across the pond.
And if you survey players, coaches, and fans alike, they're not going to be happy with the implementation.
There are so many logistical and travel nightmares in the plan. One part of the plan that has been discussed is having Wembley Stadium in London house a game every month during the NFL season. Don't you think it would be a major disadvantage to the teams traveling abroad in December, in terms of messing up their practice time and their routine? And that's in addition to the jetlag and clock adjustment associated with such a trip.
Personally, I'm tired of progressionism and think the 16-game schedule is just fine... all played in the United States. Which brings me to Schein's final comment...
The NFL is king right now. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel.
